Balling drum



y 3, 1955 K. M. HALEY 2,707,304

BALLING DRUM Filed March 10, 1954 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 A/EMYEI'HI/ALEY G. 1W", W,

Arraew 5 May 3, 1955 HALIIEY 2,707,304

BALLING DRUM Filed March 10, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. KEN/v57 M#445) Arron/v ys United States Patent nALLrNo DRUM Kenneth M. Hale,Babbitt, Minn, assignor to Reserve Mining Company, Duluth, Minn, acorporation of Minnesota Application March It 1954, Serial No. 415,346

6 Claims. (Cl. 13-1) This invention relates to rotary drums such as areused in connection with the formation of balls, pellets or glomerules,as they are called, from moisture containing pulverant material as forexample, tines obtained by virtue of the benefication of metalcontaining minerals such as magnetic ores, and concentrates obtained bybeneiication of Taconite.

The prior art discloses the use of a rotatable drum which is so mountedthat its axis is inclined to the horizontal and wherein the interiorsurface of the drum is coated by a layer or lining of the pulverantmaterial which is to be processed, and additionally, including a meanssuch as a scraper bar for controlling the thickness of the liningadhering to the inner surface of the drum. Such an arrangement isdisclosed in the patent to Charles V. Firth, Serial No. 2,411,832.

In connection with the use of such a drum as referred to, it is knownpractice to introduce into the high end of the drum moistened pulverantmaterial which is to be bailed or pelletized, meanwhile the drum iscaused to rotate whereupon particles of the pulverant material formnuclei and due to the rotation and inclination of the drum partake of arolling action which results in the formation of balls which arecommonly referred to as ellets or glomerules. The pellets or balls aredischarged t'rom the lower end of the drum.

The amount of moisture which is associated with the pulverant materialwhich is delivered into the rotating drum, is rather carefullycontrolled, nevertheless due to the rolling action of the pellets asthey progress through the drum a certain amount of moisture works itselftoward the surface of the pellets giving them a rather glisteningappearance and an outer surface which is moist and somewhat tacky. Whentherefore, these balls or pellets are discharged from the lower end ofthe rotating drum upon a surface such as a screen or traveling belt, itfrequently happens that the pellets more or less stick together inclamps and even though the beforementioned screen or belt may bevibrated, the adhering pellets are not entirely segregated intoindividual balls.

it is the purpose of the invention herein disclosed to provide effectivemeans associated with the rotary pelletizing drum whereby the pelletswhen delivered from the drum are spread out in scattered relation, uponthe screen or belt or similar surface to which they are delivered andthus the individual balls do not adhere to each other even though thesurface of the balls are of a tacky nature.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing a rotatable drum and its mountingtogether with other devices which receive the delivered pellets orballs;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the showing in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the showing in Fig. l; and,

Fig. 4 is a plan development of the structure at the discharge end ofthe drum.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a drum open at both ends andwhich at spaced apart portions is pro- "ice vided with tracks 2, so thatthe drum may be mounted upon rollers such as indicated at 3, therebyfacilitating rotation of the drum.

Obviously, any means can be used for rotating the drum and one suchmeans is illustrated in the drawings consisting of a ring gear 4 whichis attached to the drum and is driven by a mating gear 5, which isoperated by means of a motor such as is generally indicated at 6.

The rollers 3 are mounted upon a bed structure which forms no part ofthe present invention but is generallyrepresented at 7.

The drum 1 is mounted so that its axis is at an angle to the horizontal,the higher end of the drum, as indicated at 8, being open and adapted toreceive moistened pulverant material and the opposite end of the drumbeing open and adapted to discharge the balls or pellets which areformed by virtue of the action of the pelletizing process incident tothe rolling of the moist pulverant material through the drum.

At the exit or lower portion of the drum, extending partly beneath andat right angles to the axis of the drum, is a vibrating screening member9, and this member is arranged at an angle inclined to the horizontal,as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The lower end of the screening member 9 extends above a traveling belt10 so that material which is discharged from the screening member 9 isdelivered to the traveling belt ill to be carried away forfurtherprocessing.

The screening member 9 is adapted to be vibrated and for this purposethere is provided a motor 11 which belt drives a pulley 12 upon a shaftwhich provides for a vibratory movement to the screening member 9.

Beneath the screening member 9 there extends a belt which is moreparticularly shown at 14 in Fig. 3, which receives the material whichhas been screened out by the screening member 9 and conveys suchmaterial to a conveyor 15 which carries the material to a place where itis further processed and is usually returned for recirculation throughthe balling drum.

At the lower or discharge end of the drum an annular member 16 issecured to the drum so that it rotates with the drum and in effect is apart of the end portion of the drum. This annular member is providedwith a series of extensions generally represented at 17.

In the drawing in Fig. 4 is shown a developed plan view of the structureembodying the extensions 17.

Each of the extensions has converging slanting sides so that consideredas a whole the structure provides an annular series of projections andintervening spaces and which may be properly described as a series ofseallops which extend in an annular fashion around that end of the drumthrough which the material is to be discharged. Obviously the pellets orglomerules and other material which roll out from the discharge end ofthe drum will in part roll into the spaces between the scallops and inpart will roll upon the scallops and in this manner there will be arather scattered discharge across whatever member or apparatus isprovided for the reception of the pellets and other material which aredischarged from the drum.

The number of scallops provided at the discharge end of the drum is amatter for determination with respect to the specific material which isbeing discharged. In other words, there may be more or less than the number of scallops which is shown in Fig. 4-.

Furthermore, the shape of the scallops does not neces sarily have tofollow the shape that is shown in Fig. 4. Also it should be said that itis entirely possible to form the scallops or extensions directly in theperiphery of the drum at the discharge end thereof.

It will be appreciated that the pellets which are discharged between thescallops and those which are discharged across the scallops, is not aclearly defined separation but the efiect is that of scattering thepellets thus delivered from the end of the rotating drum in a spreadoutcondition. The delivery of the pellets or glomerules from the end of theballing drum, in the spread-out condition such as referred to, serves toprevent the pellets or glomerules from sticking together in bunches ormasses and it is found in practice that the pellets are substantiallyindividually delivered and spread across the paratus which is placed toreceive them.

The screening member 9, as before pointed out, is located adjacent thedischarge end of the drum 1, and beneath the lowermost portion of thedrum so that the pellets or glomerulcs discharged from the rotating drumare delivered upon the screening member. Associated with the member 9 isa wall 9 at the outside portion of the member 9, so that the pelletsdelivered to the screening member will not roll beyond the outerperiphery thereof. In fact the inner side and end of the memher 9 isprovided with a wall to prevent loss of pellets.

As heretofore described, and as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, thescreening member 9 is arranged in a slanting direction and is adapted tobe vibrated so that when the pellets are delivered to the member inseparated and scattered condition, that situation with respect to theindividual pellets is in all essential respects maintained as thepellets are vibrated and roll downwardly upon the screening member byvirtue of the slanting angular mounting of the screening member.

The pellets or glomerules which are spread upon the screening member 9,and which roll down the same, will obviously be of a size greater thanthat which would be screened out by virtue of the screening action ofthe screening member 9 and such undersized pellets or glornerules aredelivered to a belt which is indicated at 10, which conveys them to aplace for further treatment which usually is an indurating furnace.

The material which is delivered from the discharge end of the drum 1,will inevitably be in part composed of pellets which are undersize aswell as material which could be described as fines. This mixturetogether with the pellets of desired size will be, as it Were,simultaneously discharged from the end of the drum and will be subjectto the spreading action of the extensions 17 associated with thedelivery end of the drum and such mixture or" materials will be spreadout across the screening member 9, which spreading action greatlyfacilitates the screening action of the member 9 to separate the finesand the undersize pellets from those pellets or glomerules which are ofproper size and which are delivered to the suitable piece of apparatussuch as the traveling belt 10 for conducting the pellets to a place forfurther processing.

While it will be clear that the projections or scallops associated withthe discharge end of the drum will function with their spreading actionin respect to the material discharging from the rotating drum,regardless of whatever means may be provided for receiving the materialwhich is discharged from the drum, nevertheless it will be apparent thatwhere, at least in part, the problem involves the separation of thosepellets or glomerules which are of acceptable size, from the fines andundersized pellcts which are discharged from the drum, the operativecoordination of a screening member with the discharge end of therotating drum, is greatly facilitated by virtue of the fact that thematerial discharging from the drum is spread out across the screeningapparatus and not merely deposited upon the same enmass.

Obviously changes may be made in the specific instrumentalities usedwithout departing from the principle of the invention as expressed inthe claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a hollow drum of greater length than its diameter,means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly,the higher end of said drum being adapted to receive pulverant materialfed thereto, the lower end of said drum being open and forming adischarge portion of the drum, means for rotating the said drum wherebythe pulverant material becomes bailed or pelletized as it passes throughthe drum, a receiving means located adjacent to and beneath the exit endof the drum, means carried by the discharge end of the drum forspreading out upon the aforesaid receiving means the balls or pellets asthey are discharged from the drum.

2. The combination of a hollow drum of greater length than its diameter,means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly,the higher end of said drum being adapted to receive moist pulverantmaterial fed thereto, the lower end of said drum being open and forminga discharge portion of the drum, means for retating the said drumwhereby the pulverant material becomes balled or pelletized as it passesthrough the revolving drum, a screening means located adjacent thedischarge end of the drum and in position to receive material dischargedfrom the drum, and means carried by the discharge end of the drum forspreading out upon the aforesaid screening means the material includingthe balls or pellets as they are discharged from the drum.

3. The combination of a hollow drum of greater length than its diameter,means for mounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly,the higher end of said drum being adapted to receive moist pulverantmaterial fed thereto, the lower end of said drum being open and forminga discharge portion of the drum, means for rotating the said drumwhereby the pulverant material becomes balled or pelletized as it passesthrough the revolving drum, a screening means located adjacent thedischarge end of the drum and in position to receive material dischargedfrom the drum, the discharge end of the drum being provided with aseries of spaced extensions or scallops which extend outwardly from thedischarge end of the drum and serving to spread upon the screening meansthe material as it is discharged from the said drum.

4. A drum for pelletizing pulverant metal containing material, meansmounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the upperend of said drum adapted to receive a moistened pulverant material, thelower end of said drum being open and serving as a discharge opening,means for rotating the drum, the discharge end of said drum beingprovided with spaced extensions for discharging material from the drumin spread-out condition.

5. A drum for pelletizing pulverant metal containing material, means formounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly the upper endof said drum adapted to receive a moist pulverant material, the lowerend of said drum being open and serving as a discharge opening, meansfor rotating the drum, the discharge end of the said drum being providedwith a series of extensions which extensions have converging sidesproviding a spaced relation with respect to the extensions, saidextensions serving to spread the material discharged from the drum.

6. A drum for pelletizing pulverant metal containing material, meansmounting said drum so that its axis is inclined downwardly, the upperend of said drum adapted to receive a moist pulverant material, thelower end of said drum being open and serving as a discharge opening,means for rotating the drum, the discharge end of the drum beingprovided with a series of scallops extending peripherally with regard tothe discharge end of the drum and extending outwardly therefrom and inspaced relation with respect to each other, said scallops serving tospread the material as it is discharged from the drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

6. A DRUM FOR PELLETIZING PULVERANT METAL CONTAINING MATERIAL, MEANSMOUNTING SAID DRUM SO THAT ITS AXIS IS INCLINED DOWNWARDLY, THE UPPEREND OF SAID DRUM ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A MOIST PULVERANT MATERIAL, THELOWER END OF SAID DRUM BEING OPEN AND SERVING AS A DISCHARGE OPENING,MEANS FOR ROTATING THE DRUM, THE DISCHARGE END OF THE DRUM BEINGPROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF SCALLOPS EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY WITH REGARD TOTHE DISCHARGE END OF THE DRUM AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND INSPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, SAID SCALLOPS SERVING TOSPREAD THE MATERIAL AS IT IS DISCHARGES FROM THE DRUM.